The subject matter herein relates generally to communication systems, such as a cable backplane system or a cable midplane system, and mechanisms for routing cables that interconnect electrical connectors of the communication systems.
Various communication systems may include an array of electrical connectors for interconnecting different communication devices. For example, cable backplane or midplane systems, such as network systems, servers, data centers, and the like, utilize at least one array of electrical connectors to interconnect daughter card assemblies. The daughter card assemblies may be referred to as line cards or switch cards. The electrical connectors have front ends that engage corresponding mating connectors of the daughter card assemblies. The electrical connectors also have back ends that are coupled to cables. The cables extend between the back ends of different electrical connectors to communicatively couple the corresponding electrical connectors. In a cable backplane system, the front ends of the coupled electrical connectors face in a common direction. In a cable midplane system, the front ends of the coupled electrical connectors can face in opposite directions. For example, a first array of the electrical connectors may face in a first direction and a second array of the electrical connectors may face in an opposite second direction. The electrical connectors of the first array may be communicatively coupled to the electrical connectors of the second array through the cables. The cables extend through a cavity of the cable midplane system.
In a known cable backplane system, the array of electrical connectors is formed by a plurality of brick assemblies that are stacked side-by-side. A brick assembly includes two parallel plates and a plurality of electrical connectors positioned between the parallel plates. The electrical connectors of each brick assembly are arranged side-by-side in a series that extends parallel to the plates such that the plates are separated by a height (or width) of only one electrical connector. When multiple brick assemblies are stacked in an array, each brick assembly forms one row or one column of the array.
The aforementioned cable backplane and midplane systems have been effective, and there has been a general market demand to increase the number and/or density of the electrical connectors. However, the available space between the parallel plates of each brick assembly is limited. As described above, the parallel plates are separated by a working gap that typically has a height (or width) that accommodates the height (or width) of a single electrical connector. As the number of electrical connectors and the associated cables increases, it can be more difficult to route and manage the cables within the working gap. In some cases, it may be necessary to twist the cables within the working gap, which may further complicate the routing of the cables.
Accordingly, a need remains for a mechanism or device that facilitates routing the cables between the arrays of electrical connectors.